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All over the world we’re experiencing a radical, fundamental change in advertising and brand communications. The shifting sands of technology and social media have forever changed modern business and marketing.
With digital advertising becoming more and more saturated, people are looking for new ways to capture the attention of their audience. Whether that be with interactive video, content hidden behind a plugin, or even using augmented reality, there are tons of new advances being made.
We can safely say that advertising isn't what it used to be. Trends like programmatic, native advertising, and other innovative ways of reaching consumers are disrupting the industry and affecting marketers' everyday lives.
Importance of Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising, for instance, enables advertisers to reach their audience in a highly cost-effective way. It opens up a huge potential for digital marketers who can now look at new ways to improve their existing campaigns and create new ones. There's plenty of smart technology at our disposal—we just need to take advantage and get creative!
Now we all know that advertising space is fast paced and things change pretty quickly but the recent Covid 19 pandemic accelerated the pace at which things change which left even the best of advertisers scratching their heads.
From online healthcare marketing to the e-commerce boom, we’ve seen an immense demand for creative online advertising and with this increased demand came intense competition which made it hard for brands to stand out among the crowd.
Advertisers are continuously looking for innovative ways to reach their potential clients and we’ve seen some amazing advertising trends this year that caught our attention and this is what we are going to talk about in this blog. Let’s get into it without any further ado.
AI and Programmatic Advertising
The combination of AI and Programmatic Advertising is the basis of the self-optimizing process, which generates reams of useful data regarding consumer behavior. Now more than ever, the technology required to generate these insights is within reach, allowing more companies to use smarter technologies to optimize their advertising efforts.
This has led to a new opportunity for marketers and advertisers to invest their dollars into their marketing budgets. Programmatic advertising relies on algorithms and is entirely dependent on data, which makes it the perfect platform for the implementation of artificial intelligence. It’s also worth noting that your online ads are getting closer and closer to becoming personalized for each and every individual that views them.
Programmatic advertising is a method of advertising on the internet that automates the buying and selling of digital advertising space. In simple words, it means placing an ad on a website or social network without direct human input.
It allows advertisers to connect with the audience from multiple platforms in a span of seconds. It is driven by real time data, allowing deep audience targeting and thus giving advertisers the best possible ROI.
Programmatic advertising is growing at such a rapid pace that experts believe by the end of 2021, around 88% of all display advertisements will be based on programmatic. Three key factors need to always be kept in mind while thinking about it. These factors are also called the three Ps. Patterns, preferences, and predictions.
SEO companies in Dubai and around the world are using this form of advertising to respond to their consumers and connect with them efficiently. AI basically creates ads depending on their social media activity, then tracks and updates them accordingly for better results.
Programmatic advertising is here to stay and if you’re not yet using it to your advantage, you’re already late and you should get on this bandwagon now.
Conversational Marketing
Conversational Marketing is a relationship-building, interest generating technique that requires you to think about your consumers as if they were in the same room with you. This isn’t just applied to email marketing. Conversational Marketing can be used in most aspects of your business’s communication, including your website content.
One example of conversational marketing is the use of chatbots. People don’t have time and they don’t want to wait for someone to get free and talk to them. They’re willing to give their personal information to get quick, personalized service and that’s why chatbots are becoming so popular.
Most of the advertising companies in Dubai and around the world are already using these technologies to efficiently communicate with their customers. These automated bots are completely personalized and are as polite as humans. Moreover, they are programmed with enough information to be able to assist any customer at any time.
The primary reason why it is becoming so popular is that people now want personalized service, that too without any wait. These chatbots offer exactly what’s needed, quick responses, 24/7 availability, and accurate information. This helps pass potential leads through the lead funnels quickly.
One key example of this form of advertising is from LinkedIn. The platform has followed an innovative approach involving native and mobile advertising with conversational ads. These ads allow users to start conversations and prompt action. This makes it engaging as well as adds a personal touch for the user and thus generating more leads. It also provides enough feedback data on the selected audience.
Vertical Mobile Advertising
Vertical mobile advertising is one of the digital marketing strategies. It is fast becoming a prime choice for those looking to spend lesser on advertising. Advertisers have been using this ad format for increasing brand awareness, increasing app downloads, and increasing product sales.
The reason why mobile advertising has exploded in recent times is that mobile app installations grew exponentially in recent years. This means that people are consuming content on their smartphones and tablets more often than on their laptops and PCs. With this greater consumption, there is a need for better mobile advertising.
It is safe to say that the world has shifted to vertical format, and it is now more vital than ever for advertisers to adapt. Content is no longer designed for the 4:7 portrait mode; many people can't even recall the last time they had to flip their screen to obtain the 16:9 landscape ratio merely to watch a movie. The vertical 9:6 ratio is the new go to format, already occupying 75% of the screen and 100% when pressed to full.
If we look around for examples, we see that Instagram is fully vertical, TikTok has become the go to platform for video content and is completely vertical as well. Facebook and YouTube as well prioritized mobile viewers.
So, we see a pattern here of vertical screens becoming the primary focus. More and more brands are using vertical video format to create advertising campaigns. Recently Nat Geo and Hyundai partnered to launch an Instagram campaign that went viral, attracting Gen Y and Gen Z audiences. This is why it is vital to create content for vertical advertising for brand awareness, and lead generation.
Interactive Video
Whether it’s live video or video ads, interactive video advertising has proven to be among the top marketing strategies of 2021. The reason for this is simple. Video is consumable, captivating, and impacts your audience in an impactful way. It has the ability to tell stories and move people while adding value to their lives.
What’s important to note here is that people are getting bored of traditional advertisements and most of us skip every single ad because, well, ads frustrate us, and most of the ads we see online are so poorly executed that put off anyone who sees them.
This gave many huge brands and advertisers a huge headache and they had to come up with an alternative. So, they did. Interactive video ads. Brands now invite users to engage with their content and some even use this user generated content in their advertisements to start conversations and keep people hooked.
Mobile and interactive video advertising is a formidable duo. Instagram reels, TikTok videos, and Snapchat stories give advertisers a chance to post engaging, informational content that attracts users and in turn, increases brand visibility and awareness.
It can safely be said that interactive video marketing is going nowhere and you as an advertiser should start using this form of advertising because you wouldn’t want to be left behind.
Sustainability
Sustainability has increasing been in scope over the past few years. As environmentalism continues to rise, consumers are demanding more eco-friendly products, and businesses are following suit—rightfully so.
People are far more concerned about climate change due to awareness campaigns launch by environmentalists. This has given birth to something called green marketing and it is indeed on the rise. Brands want to go green, or at least want people to believe so, and they are communicating this by launching green advertising campaigns which are working fine if we see statistics.
Recently, Mulberry launched an advertising campaign highlighting concerns about the environment and corporate social responsibility. Adidas’s recent campaign was a huge success in terms of numbers as well. This is because people now know more about climate change and the harmful impact of industrialization.
The time when only a green sticker would have done the job has long gone and brands now have to go to lengths to prove their commitment towards sustainability. If you are an advertiser, you should think of incorporating sustainability into your advertising strategy.
Conclusion
This is it for today’s blog. Follow these trends to get the most out of your advertising campaigns. DO share your feedback with me and you can always reach out to me if you have any questions about advertising, SEO, or social media marketing.
If you run a business that you want to market online, contact Prism Digital, the best advertising agency in Dubai and our advertising experts will create tailored advertising strategies that would take your business to new heights.
About The Author: Lovetto Nazareth
Lovetto Nazareth is a digital marketing consultant and agency owner of Prism Digital. He has been in the advertising and digital marketing business for the last 2 decades and has managed thousands of campaigns and generated millions of dollars of new leads. He is an avid adventure sports enthusiast and a singer-songwriter. Follow him on social media on @Lovetto Nazareth